Class Dismissed
by Tachikawa Mimi
Summary: T.K. and Kari chat while doing after school cleanup. A short Takari fluff in celebration of Kari's 16th birthday! (If you need to contact Kari, e-mail me!)


_For Kari's birthday, I vowed that I would sit myself down and write a Takari. I support Takari, I think it'll happen, but I still find it to be the most **BORING** couple in Digimon. And it's really hard for me to write something original here, that might actually captivate the interest of Takari fans or my "readers" in general. So, Takari fans, or just my friends and readers...be sure to be gentle in your reviews. ^^;_

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Kari Kamiya and T.K. Takaishi were partners. That is, they always had cleanup together.

Maybe it was because their teacher had always found them to be so efficient in their weekly duties. They really didn't mind staying a few minutes after school to dump trash and log the attendance. It gave them time to talk about things they normally wouldn't discuss. Random things. Like--would they rather be deaf, or blind? Do they _really_ mind being sung 'Happy Birthday' to?

"Here's one for you..." T.K. held up the garbage bag as Kari dumped the contents of a trash tin into it. "Davis, Cody, and Yolei each got two Digi-eggs. If you could take any one of them to have as another dominating trait--which one would it be?"

"That's a silly question. We have our own crests--those three don't. I'd feel kinda greedy wanting to have _another_ Digi-egg."

"Humor me for a bit."

Kari paused for a moment to think, and began to talk again as she tied the bag shut. "I guess I'd have to say Love. I'm so quiet all the time, I come off to people as cold and detatched."

"I'll tell you what, my world shook when Davis got the Digi-egg of Friendship." T.K. followed her to the doorway. They put the bag outside the door to be pickedup by the janitors. "I was so set on getting my brother's egg--"

"Why? You're not a thing alike." Kari asked.

They walked deeper into the classroom, and T.K. replied with a snort:

"Well, neither is Davis!"

"Maybe not, but he's got plenty of qualities that are loyal to the crest of Friendship." Kari pulled out the attendance log, and sat at one of the desks. She opened it, and flipped through the pages to get to the current date.

T.K. watched her, and then sat in the desk in front of her. He turned around to sit on the seat backwards, and rested his folded arms on her desk. He leaned forwards, and rose an eyebrow. "And since when did you start defending Davis?"

"He's a member of the team, too."

T.K. bit the side of his cheek, and watched Kari write in the date on the attendance log.

"And you two are more alike than you wanna admit." Kari kept her eyes on the log, and waited for a reply this time.

When nothing came, Kari spoke again. "It sounds like you put some previous thought in that question you asked."

"Well, a bit." T.K. sat back. "I wonder what Matt thought, when Davis picked up that Digi-egg."

"Probably happy for him."

T.K. looked at Kari. "You really think so?"

"Yeah. I don't think he wanted you to get the Digi-egg of Friendship."

T.K. looked at Kari with a blank face, and she explained.

"It's hard to step out from behind your big brother's shadow, and do things on your own for a change. I think Matt saw that, and was secretly hoping that you _wouldn't_ get the Digi-egg of Friendship." Kari looked up. "It probably would have been more of a step backwards than a step forward."

T.K. leaned forward, and propped up his chin on his fists. He frowned. "I guess so. It sounds like you spend some time thinking these things through, yourself."

"Yeah, well, it's kinda easy when it's the only thing in your life outside of school." Kari wrote down the name of an absent student. "It's easy to become obsessed."

T.K. sat back again, and pulled his hat out of his shorts pocket. He put it on. "I guess that's why we Digi-Destined don't have many friends outside of our circle."

"We are rather inclusive." Kari replied. "But it's not like we can help it much. We have to keep our Digimon a secret from so many--it's hard to get close to anyone without letting them in on it."

T.K. reached into his pocket again, and pulled out a pack of gum. He pulled out a piece, and extended his arm to Kari. 

She looked up, and looked at the pack of gum.

"Take a piece." T.K. flicked his wrist to emphasize his offer.

Kari set down her pencil, and pulled out a piece. "You got cinnamon again."

"It's the same pack."

"You know I don't like cinnamon."

"Then you start buying your own gum." T.K. unwrapped his gum, and put it in his mouth.

Kari put her piece of gum in her mouth, and went back to the attendance log. After a moment, she set the pencil back down, and closed the book. She rested her elbows on top of it, and looked straight across to T.K. "I'm glad you're not like your brother."

"Hmm?" T.K. snapped to attention.

"Matt's cool--but almost cold." Kari's eyes drifted to the side. "At least, compared to you. He kind of reminds me of myself. The difference is, he can be emotional when he wants to be--I just hide everything all the time."

Kari chewed on her gum a bit more, and sighed. "I don't want people to see how I feel--they'll find out how selfish I really am."

"Hmm..." T.K. sighed, and casually put an arm behind his desk seat. "I dunno, I think it's more selfish to keep it to yourself. Part of the joy of loving someone is being there for them. And when you don't tell us how you feel, we can't ever experience that joy."

Kari squeezed her eyes shut, and bowed her head. "This is just what I'm talking about, T.K.! I just told you what I felt, and you called me selfish! Why'd you have to do that?!"

"Hey, hey!" T.K. cut her off. "What are you upset about? We all have problems--we love you in spite of that--everyone can be selfish sometime."

Kari nodded, and lifted her head slowly to gain eye contact with her long-time companion, only to see him dive forward to meet his lips with hers. Her breath caught in her throat, and her body stiffened.

The chimes softly sounded five outside the school walls. The sunset's red rays leaking into the schoolroom painted the floor and walls a rich autumn color.

T.K. pulled away, blushing and putting the back of his hand to his mouth as he turned away. Kari lowered her eyes, frowning bashfully.

T.K. muttered with embarassment. "I think I swallowed your gum." He apprehensively glanced over his shoulder to see Kari quickly nod, and they both blushed deeper.

"Do...would you like another piece?" T.K. sputtered.

Kari shook her head. "I don't like cinnamon, remember?"

"That's right."

"And T.K.?"

"Yeah?" T.K. was bending down to pack up his books.

"Next time, don't kiss me in the middle of an important conversation. It's rude." Kari saw T.K. wilt shamefully over his books at that statement.

"But T.K.--" she spoke again, and smiled warmly at him as he looked up to her. "--it was nice, anyway."

T.K. looked away, embarassed, but beaming still.

Kari got up from the desk, and picked up her already-packed bag. "Wanna walk me home?"

T.K. stood, and followed her out of the room. He switched of the overhead lights. "We are kinda inclusive, aren't we?"

"The two of us?"

"Yeah."

"I guess..."

"What are we afraid of?"

"Nothing, anymore." Kari smiled, tugging on T.K.'s sleeve gently.

T.K. smiled back, and gingerly took Kari's wrist. "I guess not."

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_Ick! Ickickick! Not only did I write a horribly boring short fluff thing...but I wrote a **kiss** scene! I'm so sorry, Kari~! I'll do a better one, if I can! I'm just trying to think of something that hasn't been done...::sighs:: Happy Birthday, anyway, sweetie. I hope you're back on ffnet soon. I'm praying for you. See you tonight at BSF!_

_Takari fans, review please. And if there are Takari fics that you find particularly great, please recommend them to me. I need something that does this couple justice..._

_Mimi_


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